The city commission did something that may well be unprecidented for them.  They made the right decision. Charley B’s and Club Xtreme were both northwest Albany bars that came under fire as the city considered revoking their liquor licenses, but thanks to a vote by the commission, they’re still here.  In fact, I suspect that both bars will hold one hell of a party this weekend.

The effort by the city was apparently part of some overall effort to curb alcohol fueled crime.   Of course, the fact that this isn’t the good old days of Prohibition seemed to have been missed on those misguided individuals who believe that there actually is a whole lot of alcohol fueled crimes in Albany.

In this instance, however, the city commission stepped up and voted to allow these two businesses to keep doing business.  Unfortunately, I’m not so sure this is over.

You see, the powers that be in Albany don’t like to lose.  In this instance, they did.  I fully expect to see an increased presence at both locations, just looking for a slip.  On a long enough timeline, someone at any bar will do something wrong.  With so many rules and regulations, it becomes difficult for any business to not slip up at some point.  If the wrong person sees it, then you can expect those liquor licenses to disappear faster than a corn dog at Honey Boo Boo’s house.

However, for now, they’re safe.  It is a hard won battle for those Albanians who fought to save these clubs.  They’re here for now, and hopefully they’re here to stay.  I’m praying that I’m just being paranoid.  I’m not used to singing the praises of city officials, so it feels kind of odd.

For now, to the commission, I say thank you.  You have saved jobs, tax revenue, and you’ve kept Albany from sucking just that much more.  Good job.  Here’s hoping that you will give me many, many more opportunities to sing your praises.

Tom Knighton is the Editor and Publisher of the Albany Journal.